Conventionally, there has been a sunroof apparatus that includes a front panel retractably opening/closing a front portion of a roof opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, a rear panel retractably opening/closing a rear portion of the roof opening, a front slider actuating the front panel by moving back and forth, a rear slider actuating the rear panel by moving back and forth, and a guide rail guiding the front slider and the rear slider movably in a back-and-forth direction (see Patent Literature 1).
In this sunroof apparatus, it is constructed that, by moving the front slider backward, a rear portion of the front panel is tilted up by the front portion of the roof opening, and the front panel is then moved backward in the tilted-up state. Then, the front slider is brought closer to the rear slider so as to be coupled to the rear slider, and thereafter the rear slider being interlocked with the front slider is moved back and forth. Thus, it becomes possible to actuate the front panel and rear panel by a single drive motor.
A slider coupling mechanism interlocking between the front slider and the rear slider of the sunroof apparatus is constructed as follows.
In the rear portion of the front slider, a coupling piece including a coupling cam groove is provided in a rearward protruded state, and the rear portion of the coupling cam groove is opened backward and the front portion thereof is formed to be forward inclined in a downward slope state.
In the front portion of the rear slider, an extended portion is provided in a forward protruded state and a coupling arm is provided in a forward protruded state.
The rear portion of the coupling arm is pivotally supported so that the frontward side thereof is rendered to be vertically swingable, and a coupling pin is provided in the front end side of the coupling arm in a laterally penetrating state. Further, a long-sized hole is formed in the front end side of the extended portion for regulating a vertical swing range of the coupling arm so that the coupling pin is inserted through the long-sized hole. And the coupling arm is biased upward by a spring.
An arm locking member fixed to the guide rail is located in the frontward side of the coupling arm and a locking groove with the coupling pin inserted thereto is formed in the side surface of the arm locking member. The locking groove is formed of a vertically longitudinal groove portion, a back-and-forth oriented transverse groove portion positioned rearward and below the longitudinal groove portion, and a curved groove portion connecting between the longitudinal groove portion and the transverse groove portion.
In the slider coupling mechanism, in a state (a coupling release state) that the coupling piece of the front slider is positioned in the frontward side of the coupling pin, the coupling pin is positioned at a top edge of the long-sized hole and the coupling pin is fitted to the longitudinal groove portion of the locking groove. Since coupling pin is fitted to the longitudinal groove portion of the locking groove, the back-and-forth movement of the rear slider is regulated.
From this state, when the front slider is moved backward and the coupling cam groove is fitted to the coupling pin, the coupling pin is guided along the coupling cam groove so as to be pulled down against the biasing force of the spring and the coupling pin is moved toward the lower end side of the long-sized hole of the extended portion and is moved to the front end side of the transverse groove portion of the locking groove.
When the coupling pin is fitted to the front portion of the coupling cam groove, the front slider and the rear slider are brought in a coupled state so that the rear slider is interlocked with the front slider so as to be movable back and forth. Further, when the coupling pin is moved toward the front end side of the transverse groove portion of the locking groove formed in the arm locking member, the regulation of the back-and-forth movement of the rear slider is released so that the rear slider is rendered to be movable back and forth.